Form and International exchange still in focus for the coming years, with some explicit priorities for 2012, which we will decide about at today's meeting with the Svensk Form Board. We always start the fall with a prolonged strategy discussion with the board, which is very useful and also pleasant, since it gives a chance to get to know the new board members a bit better. I will try to remember to take a photo at today's board meeting.

Coming very soon, our Swedish Design Goes London event, and the media is already catching on, thanks to our fantastic PR Ladies in London, Friends & Company, Belinda Fisher and Christine Samuelian. Latest entry in wallpaper and more to come in Financial Times, The Evening Standard and the Guardian. Well done Belinda and Christine! In all some fifty companies and designers will participate in the event. among them for example Folkform, Monica Förster, Thomas Bernstrand, Anna Kraitz, and Simon Klenell. We have also an espcecially adopted Swede Ilka Suppanen with his new version of the fireplace Kaasa for Iitala, since we both like him and want to have a fire to warm around in the Ambassador's Library.

FolkForm for Whyred and Simon Klenell, contrasting nicely with the 18th design in the Swedish Ambassador's residence at Portland place, where the exhibition HEMMA will be shown

Unique grahic design and clever use of the Harpa facade in the new series of Icelandic stamps that we found yesterday. Very smart branding of the new optimistic spirit of the Icelanders, their high design profile and their new pride in Harpa, the concert hall. Innovative spirit.

Thanks to our wonderful hosts, we were given the opportunity to travel up to the Northwestern corner of Iceland, where they own a lot of land around one of the largest farms in Iceland Thingeyrar, where we were guided through the Icelandic sagas, to the Thingeyrar Monestary Church, to salmon fishing, and to the most fascinating of all, The Hore Farm, led by the Horse breeder and trainer Helga Thorodssen. An impressive undertaking and business to handle around 100 horses per year, to bring them up, feed them, train them and then to sell them around the world after some 5-6 years when they are ready. I was of course amazed by this saga landscape, with the dramatic skies, the sheep, the horses, the vast land with hardly no trees.

It is really worth the visit, the newly inaugurated Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall, designed by Danish architectural firm Henning Larsen Architects and Icelandic architectural firm Batteríið Architects. Henning Larsen Architects also made the Danish new Opera House. Most amazing however and magic are the glass facades by Danish-Icelandic artist Ólafur Elíasson. It made my trip. Here are some photos, but no photos can make justice to this experience.

Met with the young and promising Icelandic Cultural Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, around 35 years of age, and learned that they are working on a new Design Policy for Iceland. Also the Finns are starting to work on a new Design Policy. And a couple of days ago I wrote about the new Danish report and visions, following the evaluation of their design policy a few years ago. Sweden is falling behind in this race I'm afraid. Anyway, I am on my first visit to Iceland and Reykjavik - not like anything else I have seen. Amazing.

The say that the sky is never blue, and that there are no trees in Iceland, I guess we were lucky. We were told however that the city has changed a lot recently - lots of new trees and lots of new tourists